Step Toward Bevell Leaving Dolphins

Miami Dolphins QB Darrell Bevell could be reuniting with Pete Carroll ... and maybe even Russell Wilson
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa works with quarterbacks coordinator Darrell Bevell prior to the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium in 2023.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa works with quarterbacks coordinator Darrell Bevell prior to the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium in 2023. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
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The idea of Miami Dolphins QB coach Darrell Bevell joining the Las Vegas Raiders as offensive coordinator has come closer to becoming reality.

Bevell interviewed for the position Tuesday, according to NFL Network reporters.

The connection of Bevell to the Raiders is clear, and it's new head coach Pete Carroll. He took over the Raiders job after previous head-coaching stints with the New York Jets, New England Patriots and most recently the Seattle Seahawks, and Bevell worked with him at his last stop.

Carroll said during his introductory press conference Monday that he wanted to bring in coaches with whom he previously worked, and Bevell fits that bill.

Carroll coached the Seahawks for 14 years before being fired after the 2023 season, and for seven of those seasons Bevell was his offensive coordinator. That included the Super Bowl-winning season of 2013 and the following year when the Seahawks were knocking on the door of a repeat before the famous Malcolm Butler gave the New England Patriots the title instead.

Bevell was fired from that position after the 2017 season when the Seahawks finished 9-7 but missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011, his first season in Seattle.

Bevell clearly had the support of his players after his dismissal, though.

"It's not playcalling. It's not playcalling," wide receiver Doug Baldwin said, according to a 2018 ESPN story. "We go into a game knowing what the defense is going to give us, the situations that we're going to be in. We don't execute as a team. Offensively, that's what we've seen time and time again, is that we do not execute the way that we should. And that's on us as players. You guys can blame Bev all you want to, but the truth of the matter is that Bev's not the problem."

FULL REUNION IN LAS VEGAS

The quarterback in Seattle during most of Bevell's time there was Russell Wilson, who arrived as a third-round pick in 2012. Wilson is scheduled to become a free agent in March and the Raiders have a clear need at quarterback, so it's logical to see a Seattle reunion happening in Las Vegas with Carroll, Bevell and Wilson.

Bevell was out of the NFL in the 2018 season before he joined the Detroit Lions for a two-year stint where he worked with new Dolphins wide receivers coach Robert Prince.

Bevell joined the Dolphins in 2022 and was instrumental, along with head coach Mike McDaniel, in helping Tua Tagovailoa reach another level as a quarterback after two pedestrian seasons at the start of his NFL career.

Bevell earlier this offseason interviewed for the offensive coordinator position with the Cleveland Browns, but they ended up promoting tight ends coach Tommy Rees.

While defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver remains a candidate to become New Orleans Saints head coach, the Dolphins currently have all their staff positions filled after the reported hiring of Craig Aukerman as special teams coordinator Tuesday.


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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.